schools — Parenthood PhD

the first day of school

Wednesday was my daughter’s first day of Kindergarten. And I managed to get through the whole day without any tears. I got through Thursday’s drop-off, too, even when my daughter stopped me outside the school and said: “You don’t need to come in, Mom. I know where to go.”

As I walked back home, I scrolled through Twitter on my phone. And that’s when I first saw the articles. On Wednesday, hundreds of immigrant workers in Forest, Mississippi had been detained, taken away without warning when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers raided the food processing plants where they worked.

The children of those workers came home from school to empty, locked houses. They were crying and looking desperately for their parents. It was their first day of school, too.

academia on parentingJessica CalarcoAugust 9, 2019immigration, schools, parents, race, racism

Studying Privileged Parents as a Privileged Parent

I study privileged parents. And I’m more than a little critical of privileged parents. Especially for hoarding opportunities for their children and teaching their children to hoard opportunities for themselves. But, I am a privileged parent. So I also get why they do what they do. To give you an example…

parenting in academia, academia on parentingJessica CalarcoSeptember 21, 2018privilege, preschool, teachers, schools, email

Backpacks Full of Privilege

It’s that time of year again. Parents are frantically checking supply lists and packing their children’s backpacks for school. But pencils and notebooks and glue sticks aren’t the only things parents send from home. Rather, parents—or at least affluent, white parents—also send their children with strategies for securing unfair advantages in school….

parenting in academia and academia on parenting